Satsuma AMP
The Satsuma AMP is a subcompact Japanese coupe based on the . It is the player's car and principal vehicle in My Summer Car, serving as the player character's project car. Design and inspiration The Satsuma is based on the , a very popular car in Finland in the 1970s and 1980s. Its age is further reinforced through the intro of the game, which shows the player's mother giving birth to the player in the back seat of the car in 1976. It can be assumed that the family owned that car back then, and its more pristine condition circa 1976 suggests a 1973 to 1976 model, judging by the rear lights available back then. Final drive flanges are triangular. Together with bigger tail lights, this tells us that car is either a 1973 or 1974 model. Later models shared the round flanges with the successor model F10 that was introduced in Japan in late 1974. Sales of this "Cherry F-II" model started outside of Japan couple of years later, in 1976. Production of these two Cherry models overlapped couple of years. The car is most likely a 1975 model because of the amount of rust and condition. From the note left by the player's parents, we can clearly make out that this car belongs to the player's father. The parents also say that it will be sent to the junkyard if the player doesn't do anything with it and that he can keep it after he assembles it and makes sure it passes inspection. The idea for the car likely originated from the Finnish film "Pohjanmaa" ("Ostrobothnia"), since like the Satsuma, the Datsun in the movie doesn't have a gas tank door and has the same license plate as the one you receive in the game after inspection, VBX-403. A yellow Datsun 100A with leopard seat covers is also featured in the film "Vuonna 85" ("In 1985"). Features and performance The Satsuma is equipped with a 1.0L (988 cc) inline four cylinder gasoline engine, with a front wheel-drive four-speed manual transmission. Compared to other driveable vehicles in the game, the Satsuma one of the most technically complex vehicles in the game, with a fully-working and accessible engine, chassis, drivetrain, suspensions, cooling system and electrics comprising of a large number of individual parts to be assembled with the aid of a toolbox (a spanner or ratchet set). The car's original wheels comprise of narrow steel rims (which can be adorned with stock hubcaps) with worn road tires that must be salvaged from elsewhere in the beginning. The car is also highly customizable with a myriad of available performance parts and cosmetics as well as tuning options. Its interior is among the earliest vehicle interiors in the game to be fully-functional, with working sun visors, window winders, dashboard instruments, window wipers, mirrors, a folding passenger seat, seatbelts, and a glove compartment (added in the 17 April 2017 update, along with the circular black fuel cap). The car's stock parts are typically revealed to be wholly inadequate for long term use, with parts starting out with a mixed bag of conditions, the radiator struggling to keep the engine cool, the worn suspension system and tires poorly suited for dirt roads, constantly leaks of the motor oil and brake and clutch fluids even when the car is not running, and an aging stock oil filter and battery in need of replacement. A considerable amounts of parts can also deteriorate from use (i.e. tires and engine components) or detach from impacts (i.e. the fuel tank, bumpers, doors, etc.). For these reason, the player is usually expected to constantly conduct maintenance and repairs on the Satsuma and replace many of the stock parts out of necessity. The Satsuma is also the only vehicle to store body deformation data. Top speed The top speed of the Satsuma varies. At the car repair shop, a lot of final gear settings can be chosen (see below), which change the top speed and acceleration of the car. 3.700 is longest ratio and gives the highest top speed, over 220 km/h. Final gear change options Every final gear costs . *4.286 (default top speed, 165 km/h) *3.700 (200+ km/h) *3.90 *4.110 *4.415 *4.625 (the shortest ratio, gives the fastest acceleration, recommended for rallying) Driving notes *The Satsuma's power band is at the higher RPMs (4500 to 6500). Remember to downshift at low RPM to take advantage of it. DO NOT ever downshift over 5000 RPM because the engine will fail catastrophically, causing extensive damage and some parts (such as pistons, main bearings) to become disassembled. These can all be repaired or replaced at Fleetari's Repair Shop, but it will be very expensive. *When cornering at high speeds, the back end may lose grip which could result in a crash. Take corners more slowly or be ready to countersteer. Alternatively, you can put something in the boot to add more weight to the back (e.g., a beer case or two). *Besides the windshield of the van and the Gifu, the Satsuma is the only car that has parts that can actually break. Consider that when driving. *There are many bumps in the road that can rip out your exhaust, fuel tank, bumpers or wheels. Take your spanner/socket set and the car jack with you to make quick repairs on the road. *If you experience a coolant leak, or you simply forgot coolant and your temperature is rising, pop the car into a higher gear. Alternatively, you can always drink something that you have with you and pee into the radiator, which might buy you enough time to reach your house or the shop. *If the car doesn't start after a crash, check if the fuel tank is still attached. The fuel tank commonly falls off after a crash. If it has, reattach it. *If the car does not have power to any of the gauges/lights and won’t start after a crash, the battery has fallen off, the battery now being the easiest main part to fall off in a crash. To reinstall it, loosen the negative and positive terminal clamps and reinstall the battery, then tighten the terminals back up. *The stock radiator in the car is not very effective for heavy driving and will overheat when doing so. Therefore, it is recommended to buy the racing radiator first. *The car doesn't have an anti-lock braking system (ABS), so heavy braking without using the clutch will cause the front wheels to lock up, potentially causing you to drive into a ditch, damaging the front of your car. *The Satsuma, being an old car, experiences leaks. After driving for some time, you must check the oil and most importantly the brake fluids. Also, make sure that all of the brake line bolts are properly tightened. *Make sure to fasten your seatbelt (if stock seats are installed) or the racing harness (if bucket seats and roll cage are installed) when driving. Not only do they reduce the risk of fatality, you will be fined for not wearing a seatbelt if you pass through a police checkpoint unbuckled. *The Satsuma has removable seats, which makes it easier to transport more goods, but make sure you do not remove the driver seat or else you will not be able to drive. *It takes five seconds to cold start the satsuma. Tips and tricks It is highly recommended to buy the air fuel gauge and extra gauges while rebuilding the car. With that said, you can easily tune the carburetor at home with the air fuel gauge. The extra gauges are just needed to check the oil pressure and battery charge. Other than that, you should try to find the RPM gauge. After all, the car's clock is just useless when you've got yourself a fancy watch after fighting at the pavilion. Last but not least, if you've got the dough, buy the racing radiator as soon as possible. The stock radiator is half dead and if you want to keep using it, pair it with the GT grille instead. Custom paint jobs The Satsuma can be painted with a custom template. You can do this by picking the "Custom paint made by artist" option in the brochure at Fleetari Repair Shop, after having edited the template in the game's folder. Below are a couple example paint jobs. :The below skins are only for demonstration. If you'd like to share your own creations, please do so on the Reddit car skin thread or the Steam car skin thread, as the wiki is not a personal file host. Skin examples Pohjanmaa Satsuma replica.png|A replica of the Pohjanmaa film. Pohjanmaa Satsuma replica rear view.png|Back of the Pohjanmaa car. BRE Satsuma.png|BRE paint job. Adidas Satsuma.png|Adidas paint job. Satsuma AMP GT The idea of a Satsuma AMP GT variant was first hinted in the 18 August 2018 update, which introduces a GT grille that can be fitted on the Satsuma. Following the 20 August 2019 update, an upscale GT spec Satsuma is explicitly revealed to exist in the game's canon. Based on a poster of the car in the player's bedroom, the Satsuma GT is touted as having a twin-carb upgrade on its existing 1.0L engine, a body kit with two variants of GT paintwork, sporty 8-spoke rims, as well as an RPM gauge in place of a clock and a racing steering wheel and central short-shifter console with wood grain finishing. While the player's Satsuma does not start out with a GT trim, the player can eventually fully outfit the car with GT upgrades, a requirement to complete the "Satsuma GT" achievement. The complete list of necessary components to unlock the achievement includes a GT grill, a centre console, GT rims, a GT steering wheel, a GT rocket cover, special GT trim body paintwork (available from Fleetari's workshop), a front spoiler, a rear ducktail spoilers, a window grille, twin carburettors, and an RPM gauge on the dashboard meters. Trivia * The Satsuma has a horn on the default steering wheel that you can use. There is no control for it in the settings, but you can press on the steering wheel to honk at people. At this moment it does not affect anything. * The rear window has two stickers, one being the popular white rounded sticker with the country's identifier (SF) and the second being an ad for the Satsuma, probably still from the dealership when it was brand new. The slogan "Sitkeään suhaukseen Satsuma" means roughly "For tenacious driving, Satsuma". It's a parody of the slogan "Lujaa Lada Laatua" ("Strong Lada Quality") that was used by the former Finnish Lada importer Konela. Prior to the 13 March 2017 update, the rear window of the car had a sticker that reads "Oispa Kaljaa", which translates to "I wish I had beer", a common Finnish joke. * It's never explained why the Satsuma is fully disassembled at the start of the game. There is nothing mechanically wrong with the car other than the parts being old and worn. All these parts can be put back together and the car will drive normally. The only exceptions are the battery, radiator and oil filter. * A "satsuma" is both a type of mandarin orange and a plum; the former is commonly sold in Finland. "Satsuma", besides being the name of a real town in Japan, could therefore be a play on the name of the real car the vehicle is based on, the Nissan Cherry. Given that it is a citrus fruit, and the automobile frequently breaks, it can also be loosely interpreted to mean "Asian Lemon". * A wreck of a Satsuma, implied to be a GT variant, can be found alongside a GT center console and towed to Fleetari for some money. See also *Assembly and tuning guides *Upgrading guide *Troubleshooting guide